Double-Sided Ivory Liturgical Comb with Scenes of Henry II and Thomas Becket

Double-Sided Ivory Liturgical Comb with Scenes of Henry II and Thomas Becket

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Liturgical combs were used by priests before celebrating mass. This comb with two scenes of the life of Saint Thomas Becket-one showing Henry II naming him archbishop of Canterbury, the other of his martyrdom-is remarkable for the accuracy of the events portrayed. The classicizing naturalism of the figures and floral ornament are important features of the Gothic style of English art around 1200.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Double-Sided Ivory Liturgical Comb with Scenes of Henry II and Thomas BecketDouble-Sided Ivory Liturgical Comb with Scenes of Henry II and Thomas BecketDouble-Sided Ivory Liturgical Comb with Scenes of Henry II and Thomas BecketDouble-Sided Ivory Liturgical Comb with Scenes of Henry II and Thomas BecketDouble-Sided Ivory Liturgical Comb with Scenes of Henry II and Thomas Becket

The Museum's collection of medieval and Byzantine art is among the most comprehensive in the world. Displayed in both The Met Fifth Avenue and in the Museum's branch in northern Manhattan, The Met Cloisters, the collection encompasses the art of the Mediterranean and Europe from the fall of Rome in the fourth century to the beginning of the Renaissance in the early sixteenth century. It also includes pre-medieval European works of art created during the Bronze Age and early Iron Age.